


Snowed In

by athingofvikings



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Modern AU, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, birthday fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-14 23:51:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16922745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/athingofvikings/pseuds/athingofvikings
Summary: Hiccup and Astrid get snowed in by a blizzard.  Guess they'll just have to cuddle by the fire.





	Snowed In

**Author's Note:**

  * For [e_wills](https://archiveofourown.org/users/e_wills/gifts).



**Snowed In**

 

“It’s coming down pretty heavy out there,” Astrid said, peering out through the curtains at the blowing whiteness.

From the kitchen, Hiccup replied, “What was the last predictions?”

Astrid pulled out her phone and checked.  And winced.  “New prediction.  Upwards of a foot.”

Hiccup poked his head out of the kitchen door.  “So… you realize that there’s no way I’m letting you go home in those conditions, right?”

She snorted.  “First, you don’t _let_ me do anything, boyfriend or not.  Second, I appreciate the concern for what it is.  And third…” she shrugged.  “It’s not like I haven’t spent the night before.”

Hiccup said in a sing-songy voice, “‘Baby it’s cold outside…’”

She snorted.  “We’re a _loooong_ way from the social mores of the forties, Hiccup.”  She took another look out through the window and grimaced.  “But I also see one other advantage to this, aside from no questions on why I stayed the night.”

“Oh?”

“Yep.  No walk of shame in front of Snot, unless he’s dumb enough to try to get home tonight.”  She paused.  “So… wanna place bets?”

Hiccup scoffed.  “Nope.  I’d give it even money.  And Jim and Claire are back in California—”

“Soaking up the warmth,” Astrid commented humorously.  “And Heather’s taking Justin with her to her folks for the holidays.”  She dropped the curtain and stepped back from the window.  “Meaning that we have the house to ourselves.”

A thump issued from the neighboring room, and she amended the statement.  “Ourselves plus cats.” 

Hiccup laughed, and did something, as a sizzle issued from the kitchen area that set Astrid’s mouth to watering.  She wasn’t a good cook, but Hiccup was, and between him and Jim, the kitchen was well-stocked. 

The cats apparently heard it too, as suddenly Toothless and Hookfang emerged from the living room and darted over to the kitchen threshold.

Astrid laughed.  “I think they’re expecting something.”  She made her way over and knelt by the pair of cats, stroking down the length of their backs. 

“They know that they might get some trimmings if they’re good,” Hiccup said, fiddling around a bit more. 

Shaking her head and grinning, she stood and stepped over the threshold to the kitchen.  “Can I?”

He grinned and motioned his chin towards a small bowl filled with cut-off bits of beef.  “Knock yourself out.”

“You know, I’ve done that,” she mused as she picked up the bowl.  “Training accidents and the like.”

Hiccup snickered.  “That’s what happens when you push yourself too far, milady.”

She stuck her tongue out at him and amused herself by tossing the meat bits to the cats one at a time as they continued to banter as he prepared dinner—steak, salad and fries.  It was a simple meal, but he made it so well, and it was one of her favorites for that reason.

The bowl was just about empty when the light went out, and all of the electronics died.

She paused, the only light in the kitchen coming from the gas flames under the stovetop and the emergency light in the hallway.  “Greaaaat,” she drawled.

Hiccup sighed.  “Yep.  Get the landline, would you?  Need to call the utility company and let them know.”

She nodded and, as he fished out some candles and lit them, she called the electric company to inform them.  Waiting on hold, she reported the outage, only to find that it was fairly extensive—a truck had skidded off the road and plowed into one of the electrical substations, blacking out most of the neighborhood.  They were working on it and would hopefully have power restored by tomorrow.

Hanging up, she said flatly, “Now what?”

Hiccup sighed, pulling the steaks out of the frying pan and putting them on plates.  “I break out the candles, hope that Snot kept the woodpile stocked, check the flue, and we eat dinner in front of the fireplace.”

She grinned.  “Sounds romantic.”

“I can at least promise rustic!” he said cheerfully. 

She snickered and said, “Well, then let’s split the difference, and eat by candlelight, and then snuggle by the fire.”

“Sounds good to me,” he said, and handed her a plate.  “Here you go.  Medium rare, just as you like it.”

She grinned and, standing on tip-toes, reached up and gave him a peck on the cheek.  “Thanks, babe.”

Eating by candlelight, the curtains pulled back to let the minimal snow-reflected light in through the windows, was an experience.  But a great and memorable one.  They’d had this dinner before, but she knew that she’d be remembering this one in the future; the candles cast a flickering light over the table, making his eyes dark and green in their dim light, and the growing chill in the house seemed to make the steak all the more delicious, the bite of the onions and peppers in the salad all the crisper and the dressing all the more tart. 

And the fries… He’d made steak fries from scratch, and they were the perfect combination of crunchy crust and steaming interior.  She nibbled at them, trying to make them last, but all too quickly, the bowl was empty, and she gave him a forlorn look.

He chuckled.  “Hungry, milady?”

“Yeah, lots of time at the gym, lately,” she said, and walked her hand across the table to him… and stole one of his fries. 

He gave her an affected outraged look as she cheerfully took a bite.  “Hey!”

She replied with an innocent expression.  “Babe, you care about me, don’t you?”

“Yesss… of course I do,” he said, clearly seeing where this was going.

“Well, sharing is caring.  Now give me your fries,” she said.

He scoffed and pushed the bowl across to her.  “Just for that, I might leave dessert for later.”

She paused with a fry halfway to her mouth.  “What’s for dessert?”

“Well, if you’re all filled up on fries, I can’t give you any,” he said logically.

She pushed the bowl back to him and he snagged one of the fries. 

“So… what’s for dessert?” she asked, taking a bite of her fry.

“Cheesecake.”  He glanced at the window.  “And hot chocolate.”

She moaned, and said, her voice full of exaggerated mourning, “I’ll be good.  Cheesecake trumps fries.”

He snickered.  “I bet it does.”  He nipped off a third of his fry and smirked as he chewed.  “But first, unless you want to sleep in those,” he motioned towards her current outfit, “I think you need to raid my closet for some pajamas.” 

She grinned.  “Well, we know that your stuff fits me.”

He sighed.  “Yes, I know.  Can I get my dragon shirt back sometime?”

“When it doesn’t smell like you any more,” she said cheerfully.

He paused and then asked in a careful tone, “Please tell me that you wash it.”

She grinned but didn’t say anything.  She did wash it regularly, but she also routinely raided his closet and swapped things out.  In particular, wearing his shirts around campus was like getting an all-day hug from her boyfriend.

After a moment, and another fry, Hiccup stood.  “I’ll get the fireplace started while you get yourself kitted out?”

“Sounds like a plan.  Is it just me, or is it already getting cold _in here?_ ”  She shivered.

Hiccup shook his head.  “Not just you.  While the furnace and hot water tank are gas, the thermostat is electric.  So I’m also going to leave some pots of water on the stovetop just in case the pipes freeze.”

She nodded, and, snagging the last fry from the bowl, stood up from the table, walked around, and gave him a kiss on the cheek before going upstairs to his room with a candle.  Eyeing the bed where they’d spent many an entertaining hour, she turned and started to dig through his closet.  Shivering, she decided that, as much fun as it would be to tease him with some more… _revealing_ clothes, covering up would be the best option for the chilly night.  She peeked out the window again and grimaced.  The street light outside was just a general glowing ball in the intensely falling snow.

Having decided on a warm outfit, she put on her choices and placed her stuff in with the drawer of her things that had migrated over.  Heading back down the stairs, she made her way to the small living room to find Hiccup cursing Snotlout’s name in creative fashions as he was doing something with the flue, his torso and head out of view up in the fireplace’s shaft. 

“What did he do?” she asked, admiring his fine rear as it bobbed in front of her. 

“He _said_ that he cleaned it out last month.”  A cascade of half-rotted leaves came down onto the floor of the fireplace.  “I don’t think so!”

Astrid watched for a moment, amused.  “Any idea if it’ll work?”

“We light it and see where the smoke goes,” he said sourly.  “I think I just about have it, though.”

“Good.  Well, I’ll go get the firewood and all of the blankets in the closet.”

“Good plan.  Check and see if the water is still hot from the tap?  I’m going to want a shower after this.”

She eyed the pile of dirt and rubble growing on the floor of the fireplace.  “I don’t blame you.  I’ll go check.”

The hot water was indeed still warm, and the pile of blankets was satisfactory.  And at least the firewood pile under the tarp out back was dry—although the snow on top of it was already deeper than the length of her hand.  She carried in as much as she could and brought it over to the fireplace.  Hiccup had apparently finished, and there was a chill draft coming down the chimney, which, she supposed, was a good sign.  With a small smirk, she considered joining him in the shower, but that would just slow things down, and she wanted her fireplace cuddles and hot chocolate more than an awkward fumble in warm water that might run out in a dark room lit only by candles.

So, with an exaggerated sigh, she set about starting the hearth fire, sweeping the fireplace clean and then building up the kindling. 

She’d just gotten the first logs to catch as Hiccup came in, carrying a tray laden with cheesecake and steaming mugs of hot chocolate, and it was his turn to ogle her.  “You know, you look pretty hot in plaid,” he said with a grin. 

She laughed.  “Between the aesthetic and the weather, it seemed appropriate.”  She eyed the tray.  “So, where’s yours?”

Hiccup chortled and set it down on the coffee table.  The log having caught in full, she pulled back and joined him on the couch, taking a mug of hot chocolate and a slice of cheesecake—topped with whipped cream and steaming raspberry and chocolate sauce. 

Settling back against the cushions, she dug in with gusto, making sure to give proper auditory appreciation for her boyfriend’s culinary skills—and enjoying his reactions as he tried to keep from laughing at just how… _vocal_ she was being in her appreciation.  But it wasn’t much of an act.  The cheesecake was rich and moist, and the raspberry and chocolate gave it the perfect balance of flavor, and he’d added cinnamon and a splash of whiskey to the hot chocolate, just as she liked it. 

Still, it was fun to watch him bite his lip as she moaned at the rich flavors. 

With the fire burning merrily by this point, the cats quickly found them.

Astrid chuckled as she watched the pair of them splay themselves out on the stone in front of the fire.  “Glad that everyone’s enjoying themselves.”

Hiccup leaned up against her with a happy sigh, and she turned and kissed his cheek.  “Thank you, babe.  I think this is an evening going down in our memories.”

He stroked her cheek.  “That was my hope.”  He shifted a bit, and she took the opportunity to pull off her socks and put her feet in his lap.  “Hey!”

She gave him an innocent look.  “What?”

“Gah!  It’s like a pair of ice blocks!”

She wiggled her toes as a grin grew on her face.

“Quit touching me, your feet are cold!  Freezing!” he said, his words at odds with the matching grin on his face.  He was a human hot-water-bottle and she was a heat vampire.  Perfectly matched, especially when snuggling at night.

With a chuckle, she pulled herself into his lap and wriggled until they were both comfortable.  Well, reasonably.  Then she paused, as there was a lump in his pocket, and not the one that she was expecting from her gyrations.  “Hiccup?”

“Yes?”

“Is that a box in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?”

He seemed to deflate a bit, and then sighed.  “I… both?”  He shifted and pulled the box out.

Astrid’s eyes went wide at the sight of it.  It was a small ring box.

Sounding apologetic, he said, “I was planning on asking after dessert… but then the power went out and it didn’t seem—”

She turned and kissed him.  Thoroughly.

When they broke the kiss, she turned to see that he’d somehow managed to open the box one-handed, and a small but glittering ring sat inside. 

Her mouth felt dry at the sight.  They’d been together for nearly four years now, since their undergrad days; both of them were now graduate students in advanced programs, him in engineering, her in medical.

He nudged her out of his lap and slid off the couch, going to one knee.  She noticed that he swallowed nervously, but he held the box out in the classic fashion and asked, his voice clear, “Astrid… my lady love… will you marry me?”

Even knowing it was coming, it was still a shock to hear it.  She looked from the ring, then back to him, and then back to the ring.  It was a gorgeous piece, with small chips of diamonds arranged in what looked like a braid.  Then she looked back to him; he looked nervous—terrified, really—and his eyes were filled with hope, reflecting the flickering light of the fire.  With shaking hands, she took the box from his, and slipped the ring on.  “I will.”  Then she hauled him out of his crouch and back onto the couch for some more intensive kissing and cuddling. 

As they cuddled together under half a dozen blankets, the heat of the fire warming her cheek, Astrid said softly, “A fireside proposal after one of my favorite dinners?  And you thought it didn’t seem right?”  She gave a light chuckle.  “Dork.”

“Your dork,” he said softly. 

“Yep.  All mine.”  She nestled up against him and sighed happily before holding up her hand to admire the ring as it glittered in the firelight.  “Doctor Astrid Haddock.  I like the sound of that.”

He chuckled, sounding relieved.  “So do I.”

Feeling like she was full to bursting of joy, she let out some more of it in another happy sigh and snuggled her cheek up against his chest, and the two of them laid together, happy and content.  Outside, the snow continued to fall, burying her car, and the power was still out, but as far as she was concerned, the evening couldn’t have been more perfect.

“Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow,” she sang softly, and closed her eyes, a smile on her face, her warm boyfriend… her warm _fiancee_ lying under her, toasty despite the layers of clothing separating them. 

And, well, when the power was back… that could be fixed, and her smile grew at the thought.  But for the moment… she basked in the warmth and ambiance and love, cocooned in her happiness.

And half a dozen blankets.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday, e_wills! Hope you enjoyed, and I used all three of your prompts!


End file.
